Computer education to get boost in new academic year

Computer education to get boost in new academic year

By Ch Lakshman Rao | THE HANS INDIA | Feb 26,2016 , 03:52 AM IST

Srikakulam: A ray of hope is in sight for implementation of computer education and digitalised teaching in 204 government schools in the district which were launched in 2008. The Andhra Pradesh government is now taking the initiative to see that the schools which had almost become defunct are now revived. 

          It has not only appointed 300 teachers, but is also making efforts to train another 1500. The schools, which were in a bad shape since 2008, due to lack of staff and other facilities are now have about 300 teachers trained in digitalised teaching. 

           “Now we are planning to train another 1500 teachers in summer vacation and to start digitalised teaching in another 200 schools in addition to 204 schools from next academic year,” DEO D Devanandha Reddy told The Hans India. 

         “We will train one head master and at least six teachers in each school on computers next summder,” the DEO added. It may be recalled that the scheme was launched by the Centre to provide computer education at the government high schools in 6300 schools in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Of this 203 schools were set up in Srikakulam district. 

          The then AP government entered into an agreement with Institute of Electronic Governance (IEG) to implement the scheme in schools. The agreement period of the two phases ended in September 2013 and in July 2015 respectively.

        Under the scheme computers were supplied and two instructors were appointed for each school with a salary of Rs 2,000 per month. Lack of official supervision, half hearted efforts of the then government and meagre salary to instructors resulted in failure of the scheme. 

       The government provided computers through the IEG, but no facility to protect computers in schools and did not appoint qualified staff as a result the scheme failed, opined AP Teachers Federation (APTF) State vice-president S Rajasekhar and AP Upadhyaya Sangham (APUS) State secretary D Sivaram Prasad.

      However, the Central government again took up the initiative to revive the scheme of digitalised teaching under Education Research Network (ERNet) in July 2013. Under the ERNet total 204 high schools have been selected only in Srikakulam district in the State. But still things did not improve till the TDP government decided to revive e-Learning, he said.